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The farmingfriends website was set up at the end of 2006 and started as a diary of daily life on the farm but has grown into an online magazine and forum community packed with information, resources and products relating to farming, keeping livestock, food and nature. If you are a farmer, smallholder, animal enthusiast, parent, child or anyone interested in animals and the farming lifestyle, then the Farming Friends website and forum is for you.

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Hatching

Do you have any advice on helping quail chicks hatch out? There is a lot of debate about whether you should help a quail chick or any chick out of their shell. I believe it is up to the individual to assess their own situation and decide if they are going to intervene or not. We … Read more

I am always delighted to get feedback about the products I am selling at farmingfriends, so I was thrilled to see my Incubating, Hatching & Raising Guinea Fowl Keets eBook described as comprehensive information. Sara, Here in North Carolina USA my husband and I have hatched guinea keets with an incubator. We’ve scoured the internet … Read more

I have received an email from Jenny asking for help regarding the temperature fluctuating in her incubator. Hello, My name is Jenny, I have an incubutor.. but I can not get it to hold it’s temperature… it’s up and down like a yo yo.. Can you help? I have now tried it twice and got … Read more

Had an email on Friday night letting me know that a duckling was hatching early and then this morning I heard that the yolk sac hadn’t been absorbed. Hi Sara, just to update you on our eggs. It is not due to hatch until Wednesday next week but it actually started to break the shell … Read more

I have been asked about water in an incubator. “Hi there I was wondering if you put water in the incubator when eggs are incubating ? Thanks write back asap. Ekram” When incubating eggs the eggs need to have a level of humidity in the incubator in order to hatch. One way to attain the … Read more

I have just received an email about muscovy ducklings struggling to hatch out. Hi Sara I have a muscovy duck that hatched out two of her babies, she still had alot of eggs but did not sit on them for a day so i took them away as they were ice cold. Just before i … Read more

When breeding quail and incubating their eggs it is important to keep a record of fertility and to calculate the percentage fertility because this will help in evaluating incubation and breeding efficiency. I have recently incubated some quail eggs from quail that were hatched themselves in 2007, so two years on it is important to check their … Read more

When breeding quail and incubating their eggs it is important to keep a record of the percentage of total eggs hatched because this will help in evaluating incubation and hatch efficiency. I have recently hatched some quail chicks and wanted to share the hatch rate with you. You can calculate hatch rate in the following way; … Read more

Many readers of the farmingfriends website often find pigeon eggs and try to incubate them. I have recently been asked about the shell becoming transparent on the pigeon egg. Hi, I have recently been able to take care of pigeon eggs. I have kept them in a shoebox with a 100watt bulb and a hot … Read more

Yesterday the 42 japanese quail eggs that I had in my incubator where due to hatch. I had been away in the caravan on Saturday night and when I returned on sunday afternoon some of the eggs had pipped and I could definately hear cheeping. At about 7.15pm one chick hatched by 7.45 there were … Read more